Kenya power company say monkey caused nationwide blackout

A rhesus macaque monkey look on as he drinks from a bottle in Hong Kong on April 30, 2011. Wildlife experts say monkeys come into conflict with humans when their natural habitat in forests is destroyed. AFP PHOTO/ED JONES (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

The Kenya Electricity Generation Company said in a statement late Tuesday that a monkey climbed onto the roof of the Gitaru Power Station in central Kenya and fell onto a transformer, tripping it.

The company said this caused other machines in the station to trip, resulting in the loss of 180MW from the plant, triggering a national blackout. The statement did not say whether the monkey survived.

The blackout lasted more than three hours Tuesday before power was restored.

The company said that its facility is secured with an electric fence, and that this was an isolated incident.